Mehmet Okur
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| No. 13 New Jersey Nets | |
|---|---|
| Center-Power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | May 26, 1979 |
| Place of birth | Yalova, Turkey |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Pro career | 1997–present |
| Career history | |
| Oyak Renault (1997–1998) Tofaş S.K. (1998–2000) Efes Pilsen (2000–2002) Detroit Pistons (2002–2004) Utah Jazz (2004–2011) Türk Telekom B.K. (2011) New Jersey Nets (2011–present) |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| 2007 NBA All-Star 1× NBA Champion (2004) |
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| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Turkey |
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| FIBA European Championship | ||
| Silver | 2001 Turkey | National team |
Mehmet Murat Okur (born May 26, 1979 in Yalova, Turkey) is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. He is a 211 cm (6' 11")[1] power forward/center.
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[edit] Early career
Okur notes Toni Kukoč was his favorite player while he was growing up.[2] He helped the Turkish 22-and-under national team to 6th place at the 1997 world championship.[3] Mehmet was transferred to Efes Pilsen in 2000 and won a championship in the 2001–2002 Turkish Basketball League season.[4] He averaged 13.5 points per game during his last season in Turkey.[5]
[edit] NBA career
[edit] Detroit Pistons
Okur was selected 37th overall in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.[6] He played two seasons for the Pistons from 2002/03 to 2003/04, helping Detroit win the NBA championship in June 2004. He became the first Turkish player to win an NBA championship. Due to salary cap limitations, the Pistons were unable to pay a top-level salary for Okur, but he was able to parlay his success into a six-year, US$50 million contract with the Utah Jazz.
[edit] Utah Jazz
Standing 2.11 m (6'11") and 119.3 kg (263 lb),[1] Okur played the center and power forward positions for the Utah Jazz. In his first season (2004–2005) with Utah, he played in all 82 games, starting in 25 of them. Nicknamed "Memo", Okur made his presence felt during his second (2005–2006) season with Utah, increasing his scoring average from 12.9 points per game the previous season to 18.0 points per game. He started in all 82 games for the second straight season, the only Utah Jazz player to do so. In his third season, he continued to be a key player for Utah.[7][8]
On Monday, January 12, 2009, Okur established a new career high in points scored when he scored 43 points against the Indiana Pacers.
On July 10, 2009 Okur signed a two-year contract extension reportedly worth approximately $21 million.[9]
On April 17, 2010, Okur ruptured his Achilles' tendon during the first game of the post-season against the Denver Nuggets, eliminating him from the remainder of the NBA playoffs, as well as the World Basketball Championships in his native Turkey later that summer.
He returned on December 17, 2010 and scored 2 points against the New Orleans Hornets.
[edit] New Jersey Nets
On December 22, 2011, Okur was traded to the New Jersey Nets for a 2015 second round pick.[10]
[edit] All-Star
He was named to the Western Conference All-Star team for 2007 NBA All-Star Game. He and Ray Allen were selected as replacements for injured original members Allen Iverson and Steve Nash.[11] He is the first Turkish player to participate in this event.
[edit] Türk Telekom Ankara
In September 2011, Okur signed a contract with Türk Telekom B.K. His contract had an out-clause, which allowed him to return to the NBA when the 2011 NBA lockout was resolved.[12]
[edit] Personal life
He is married to actress and former Miss Turkey finalist Yeliz Çalışkan. They have a daughter, Melisa, born on March 21, 2007, and a son, Yiğit Mehmet, born on February 19, 2010.
[edit] Awards and honors
- NBA All-Star: 2007
[edit] NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Last updated: May 19, 2009.[7]
[edit] Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Detroit | 72 | 9 | 19.0 | .426 | .339 | .733 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .3 | .5 | 6.9 |
| 2003–04 | Detroit | 71 | 33 | 22.3 | .463 | .375 | .775 | 5.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .9 | 9.6 |
| 2004–05 | Utah | 82 | 25 | 28.1 | .468 | .270 | .850 | 7.5 | 2.0 | .4 | .8 | 12.9 |
| 2005–06 | Utah | 82 | 82 | 35.9 | .460 | .342 | .780 | 9.1 | 2.4 | .5 | .9 | 18.0 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 80 | 80 | 33.3 | .462 | .384 | .765 | 7.2 | 2.0 | .4 | .5 | 17.6 |
| 2007–08 | Utah | 72 | 72 | 33.2 | .445 | .388 | .804 | 7.7 | 2.0 | .8 | .4 | 14.5 |
| 2008–09 | Utah | 72 | 72 | 33.5 | .485 | .446 | .817 | 7.7 | 1.7 | .8 | .7 | 17.0 |
| 2009–10 | Utah | 73 | 73 | 29.4 | .458 | .385 | .820 | 7.1 | 1.6 | .5 | 1.1 | 13.5 |
| 2010–11 | Utah | 13 | 0 | 12.9 | .355 | .313 | .750 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .3 | .3 | 4.9 |
| Career | 617 | 446 | 29.1 | .460 | .377 | .797 | 7.1 | 1.7 | .5 | .7 | 13.7 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | 1.000 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 |
[edit] Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Detroit | 17 | 0 | 19.0 | .438 | .538 | .531 | 4.1 | .8 | .7 | .7 | 5.5 |
| 2003–04 | Detroit | 22 | 0 | 11.5 | .470 | .400 | .692 | 2.8 | .4 | .2 | .4 | 3.7 |
| 2006–07 | Utah | 17 | 17 | 34.4 | .388 | .316 | .786 | 7.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | .9 | 11.8 |
| 2007–08 | Utah | 12 | 12 | 38.5 | .423 | .373 | .773 | 11.8 | 1.9 | .7 | .7 | 15.4 |
| 2008–09 | Utah | 2 | 2 | 21.5 | .167 | .333 | .750 | 5.0 | 2.0 | .0 | .5 | 4.0 |
| 2009–10 | Utah | 1 | 1 | 11.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
| Career | 71 | 32 | 23.6 | .415 | .362 | .713 | 5.9 | 1.1 | .7 | .6 | 8.1 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b NBA Player Profile
- ^ NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Biography Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ World Championship fo.net/pd.asp?p=243 TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Turkish Basketball League history Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ TBLstat.net: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Draft Profile: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ a b NBA.com: Mehmet Okur Retrieved February 18, 2007
- ^ Okur named 2007 All Star
- ^ "Jazz Signs Mehmet Okur to Multi-Year Extension". NBA.com. 2009-07-10. http://www.nba.com/jazz/multimedia/jazz_signs_mehmet_okur_to_extension.html. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
- ^ "NETS Acquire Mehmet Okur". NBA.com. 2011-12-22. http://www.nba.com/nets/news/nets_acquire_mehmet_okur_2011_12_22.html. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
- ^ Allen, Okur get call to replace injured All-Star players, Retrieved February 13, 2007
- ^ Utah Jazz: Mehmet Okur signs with Turkish team
[edit] External links
- Basketball-Reference.com: Mehmet Okur
- Career Stats
- NBA Player Profile
- Official Homepage
- TurkSports.Net Mehmet Okur
- Player Profile @ Euroleague.net
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- American Muslims
- 1979 births
- Living people
- Tofaş S.K. players
- Anadolu Efes SK players
- Türk Telekom B.K. players
- People from Yalova
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Turkish basketball players
- Turkish expatriate basketballers
- Turkish expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Detroit Pistons draft picks
- Detroit Pistons players
- Utah Jazz players
- New Jersey Nets players
